The Miami Hurricanes will be playing in their first conference tournament championship in school history Sunday, as they try to beat the North Carolina Tar Heels for a third time. Where are we looking to place our College Basketball picks in this matchup?
Let’s take a closer look at the College basketball odds for the ACC Championship game, with the opening tip at the Greensboro Coliseum
scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Let SBR be your 2013 NCAA Tournament betting headquarters.
Peaking at the right time
North Carolina has won eight of its last nine games,
including a 79-76 victory over the Maryland Terrapins as 4.5-point neutral-site
favorites Saturday, while going OVER the total for a second consecutive
contest.
The Tar Heels are 17-8 straight up (SU) and 8-14-3
against the spread (ATS) in all tournament games over the last two-plus
seasons, with the OVER going 12-10 in that situation.
Back on track
Miami lost a bit of its focus in dropping three of its
last five regular-season games, but has taken care of business in covering the
spread in both of its tournament games, including an 81-71 victory over NC
State as two-point favorites in the semifinals.
The Hurricanes are 20-4 SU and 16-6-2 ATS when taking on
a team with a winning record, while the UNDER is 11-6 in that situation.
Quite a disparity
College basketball handicappers have landed on the
Hurricanes in the early wagering, which isn’t very surprising, as they won and
covered the number in both regular-season meetings against the Tar Heels.
Miami covered the spread by a combined 31.5 points in
those contests, but it’s still important to note that the program is still just
4-18 in this series overall.
Familiar surroundings
The Tar Heels are making their 32nd appearance in the ACC
Tournament final, which is a major angle for some to consider in potentially
backing the underdog in this spot. North
Carolina owns an all-time record of 90-41 in this particular event.
It’s quite a disparity between these two programs, as
Miami lands in its first-ever title game as a member of this conference. The Hurricanes also earned their first
outright regular season conference championship in coach Jim Larranaga’s second
year.
Prediction
In shooting an SBR video Saturday afternoon, I
recommended that readers should add the Hurricanes to their NCAA Basketball picks as 1.5-point neutral-site
favorites, as the roster is focused on gaining respect nationally.
North Carolina is dangerous as a revenge-minded team in
this spot, but Miami will improve to 23-10 ATS in its last 23 neutral site
games.
College Basketball Pick: Miami Hurricanes -1.5